Parenthood

Remember that movie? I love that movie. And remember the scene where the kid is sick and throws up all over Steve Martin? Classic. And funny...and oh so true.

Yesterday was my first day to go back to the office since Sam was born. We slept a little late, I took my time getting ready, helped Liz, ironed my clothes, got dressed, put on my last clean pair of jeans. I was about to put on my socks when Liz asked if I'd change Sam one more time before I left. Sure. I throw him up on the changing table- I'm getting pretty good at this diapering thing. I put him on the table, take off the old one, clean him up, and then like a tiny little garden fountain, things come to life and Sam pees all over himself. I managed to avoid being hit, but my boy was covered up. What do I do? He's wet, so I pick him up and kinda shake him off. Just up and down a few times to shake off the excess. To the bathroom we go. We've got this little foam mat that you can lay in the bottom of the tub, so I put him on that, get a washcloth and some soap, and clean him up. Top to bottom, head to toe, he's clean as a whistle. I grab a towel, wrap him up, pick him up, he's feeling good, I'm feeling good- then he poops.

Now at this point, let me point out that baby poop is not at all like grown up poop. It's not like he did it, and it rolled out of the towel and onto the floor, and we just picked it up with a paper towel. This stuff is liquid. No solidity to it. And when it came out of the towel, it ran down my thigh, all over my foot, and onto the bathroom floor.

..........of course.

In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have gotten dressed so early. Or maybe I should have changed my clothes before I changed him. But here's what I'm learning. There's something in me that wants to make sure he's taken care of. It's this weird fatherly thing where I care less about my jeans than about him being cleaned up. I want to make sure he's fed, dressed, warm, satisfied, happy with life. And the louder he cries, the more I want to hold him.

I'm also learning that this is exactly how God feels about us. 1 John 3:1 says, "How great is the Father's love for us that we should be called His children." We're His children. He's our Daddy. He doesn't mind the mess we're in, He just wants to get us out of it. And the louder we cry, the more he wants to hold us. He'll never abandon us and say, "Ugh...come back when you've cleaned yourself up." He loves us just where we are, and He wants to take care of us. He wants to clean us up, make sure we're full and content. He wants to bless us, and when things are going wrong, He wants to hold us and say, "What can I do?"

This week I've caught a glimpse of how much God really loves us. As much as I love my little boy, God loves me infinitely times more. It's unfathomable. I can not wrap my head around His love for me, but I am so thankful for it.

Be blessed today,

Jared